By the end of this 90-minute one act play, I was invested in the characters and did not want to the story to end.  The father Tom, played to a tee by Will Casey, shouldered his self-inflicted emotional wounds nobly.  The twins who return home to support their father, Ray, played by Liz Chidester and Joey, played by  Diana Coates, were suitable fraternal opposites, caring for each other as their lives approach separate crises, but not too much.  Jordan Dell Harris as Carver, Tom’s counselor, is also Ray’s potential love interest, but one with a dubious past.   Bobby and Jean (Rob Frankel and Jeanne T. Arrigo), are a sympathetic neighbor couple who echo the family’s own fears.  The plot is not complex—it deals mostly with fear of change and how that affects the family. Playwright Rachel Bonds provides us with just enough information and action to pique curiosity.

Though there is music, Sundown, Yellow Moon is not billed as a musical as the music is not integral to the production.  It’s used to provide pauses for reflection in what is already a slow reveal.  In two instances, Carver sits stage front and listens to recordings of songs he sang in a high school group.  The reason for the recordings is questionable—and interminable for me.  It turns out in a subsequent duet with Ray/Chidester that Carver/Harris has a great voice.  Since the names of all the songs, written by The Bengsons, are not mentioned in the program notes, I can’t identify the beautiful duet with Ray and Carver, the best take-away from the show. 

It’s a tribute to the cast that they were able to stir emotional connection with the audience from a play with such a limited dramatic arc.

Recommended for theater fans who appreciate a slow-paced family drama.

Sundown, Yellow Moon
Raven Theatre East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville)
Thurs-Sat at 7:30; Sun at 3
ends on November 17, 2019
for tickets, call 773.338.2177 or visit Raven Theatre